Fearless
by Silver Blackquills
Summary: When Soul happens to accidentally stumble into something she wasn't supposed to see, a certain redheaded boy takes matters into his own hands. He realizes that she may be the answer to his question. —SilverSoul
1. Prologue

Respect is powerful. Notoriety is powerful. It keeps you alive, living; it keeps you safe. In this world... those are essential.

"..."

Love is powerful. Some say love is what makes the world go round. Some say it's an attraction. It's a power; thus keeping you alive and living. It's essential in life. People can't seem to live without it.

...

Love is nonsense. It is merely an illusion. It's a cruel vision that bonds two living beings together into a sick hold simply to reproduce. Love is nothing. It has no meaning in this world. It is not essential. People can live without it.

"..."

One must understand... there must be no distractions. Every obstacle must be overcome. Every path must be crossed, no matter how rough or difficult it may seem. The worst distraction... the worst obstacle... the most difficult path one must overcome... is love.

_Love._

The worst thing that can happen to anyone... is to fall in love's grip. Fall into it's tight grip, clenching you, chaining to by its side. To fall in love...

"It's called love, you idiot. And you just happen to be a victim of it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: More to come, hopefully. Already working on the next few chapters. ouo Enjoy and review yayy! /o/ As always, this will be SoulSilverShipping... hehehe. eue**

**Disclaimer applying to every single chapter on this fic: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. **


	2. 1

He always wondered why.

Why him.

There was never a day when that question never seemed to invade his thoughts, his mind. Usually, it was during the night, right before he would rest—that is, if he even rested. He never understood why it was him. He's seen others live a normal, happy life with their parents, laughing about with their perfection of lives they all had. What did he has that could even compare to that? He didn't have a mother. Oh, no. Every time he thought about his mother, he'd cringe. He hated it all. He wasn't strong enough for her. When she crossed his mind, he'd immediately push that out of his head, shaking his head. He was weak. No matter how long ago it was when she had left him, when he was a mere five-year old child, it still haunted him to this day. He wouldn't dare speak about her, mention her, or even think about her. He couldn't take it.

Then, there was him. His father, whom he rarely ever saw—about once every Friday. And when he did see him, it was rather awkward and tense. Sure, it was understandable if the man was in the mafia, and that he had to be the one that had to dictate everyone else around. But the boy never understood why. Why he wasn't there for him like normal fathers are. No birthdays, no Father's Days, no Christmas... It frustrated him to no end. How was he even a father to him, when he didn't even know the basics?

Why him.

And, at that moment, as he lay on his bed, clock reading _4__:47AM_, this eighteen-year old exhaled a sigh as he stared up at the white ceiling. His eyebrows furrowed together in deep thought. How he's even alive still, Arceus knows. "Why..."

There it goes again. That stupid question.

He remembered it all as if it had happened the day prior.

Instead of having a normal childhood with love and care, being surrounded by loved ones like a mother and a father, he was sent off on his own at the age of nine. It started out with him going out into the world, lonely, and with only one hundred dollars—which at the time, to his small, naïve nine-year old mind, it was like he was a millionaire. He never got much money throughout his life, so it was a surprise when his father had given him so much, and had told him to save it for emergencies.

That Friday, when he failed to show up home, the boy figured it was time to venture out.

When his luck ran short, his currency dropped from one hundred to zero in a matter of a week and a half after he had escaped from his home in Viridian City. How was he going to eat? Survive? He surely wasn't going to beg, that was too low, and his mother had taught him not to do so. Since then, he turned to his other alternative.

He stole his way through his journey. It started out small. And as time passed, his thieving skills had improved significantly.

At age nine, he committed his first robbery: stealing sweets from a liquor store. At age eleven, he stole money from a man walking through the street in the night. He stole approximately seventy-six dollars. At the same age, he committed his first break in. It was in an old woman's house, and he stole her jewelry and her spare cash.

At age twelve, he committed his first assault. He beat up a man senselessly to steal what he had, and left him there in the alleys in the late evening. In that same year, he committed his first murder: a hopeless teenager that was annoying the hell out of him, going as far as to try and throw mindless threats at him. He stabbed the teenager to death his pocket knife—which he had stolen.

By the end of age twelve, he had already committed so many crimes, and the police had no clues as to it being him that made the crimes.

Little did he know, someone had watched him and knew of his intentions. At just the right moment, that someone had the boy smothered and kidnapped, and brought over to Johto—more specifically in Blackthorn City...

* * *

><p><em>"I've seen your little thieving ass around Kanto. You're a swift one, aren't ya?" he interrogated the poor boy, who was strapped up to a lone chair in the center of an empty room. The boy scoffed at him rudely, to which the man chuckled. "I like that about you. You do things without fear. I need someone like that."<em>

_He stood in front of the confused boy, knife gliding slowly down his cheek, to his bare neck, as he spoke. "The name's Lance, and you work for me now, yes?"_

_"Fuck off," the boy cursed out in response. "I work for nobody. Kill me if you want, I don't give a fuck."_

_Lance gashed up his right cheek swiftly, making the boy cringe in pain. "Now, now, you need to watch your tone of voice when speaking to me..." There was a pause, and the man smirked at him. "Understand that, Silver?" When the strapped up boy gave him a shocked expression, he continued to speak. "There's no need for you to live off the streets anymore if you work for me. It's rather simple, actually. Kill a guy here, steal something there..." The end of the bloody knife tapped Silver's nose as he chuckled mockingly. "It's like a piece of cake for you."_

_Silver was the boy's name. He remembered biting on his lower lip, cursing. There was no point in escaping or avoiding him, since he knew his name and what he did._

_And it didn't help once Lance added, "You won't be alone anymore. You won't have to rely on yourself for everything. You've got me. You work for me, and I'll pay you. It's simple business with no gimmicks."_

_The twelve-year old looked into Lance's eyes, turning weak. The man realized he hit his weak spot, and he concluded off his bargain. "Do we have a deal, Silver?"_

_"What do I have to do, then?"_

_"First off, you'll tell me your full name," he ordered, waving the knife in his hands as he spoke. "It's to... get to know you, per se."_

_Silver swallowed, and sighed. "Silver Alexander Velesina."_

_Lance arched an eyebrow at Silver, a bit caught off guard. "Velesina? Ah... it makes sense. You're Giovanni's kid, the big mafia boss. Makes perfect sense as to why you're such a bad boy." He was busy with unstrapping Silver from the chair, and smirked. "Well, you'll be very useful, in that case." When both males stood in front of each other, Lance extended his arm out towards Silver. "Name's Lance Lot. I'm your employer now. It's an honor—no, a privilege working with a member of the Velesina family. Hopefully you'll like what I can train you in to help you with my missions."_

_Hands connected, sealing up their deal. "The pleasure's all mine," Silver responded, nodding._

* * *

><p>The male groaned as he rubbed his temple gently. He remembered that after that single day, life was nothing more than to survive. Lance had forced him to train in many things that tested his strength, speed, and mind. One day, he'd exercise his guts out and almost faint from the exhaustion, and the next day, he'd given a specific amount of short time to disarm a security alarm, similar to those found in Pokémarts. He even goes as far as to thinking fast in situations. Since age twelve, Silver has worked for Lance.<p>

And he doesn't regret ever in making that deal with him.

Hey, at least the poor boy isn't on the streets like he used to be. Lance was honest with his words, despite all the dirty work he's known for doing. He gave Silver a home out in Blackthorn, all to himself. Silver didn't have to steal from people or businesses, either—well, at least not to stay living off of what he stole. Lance was honest with that as well, he did pay Silver with money as well. And a lot of it. The redhead had realized rather quickly that his employer had his good share of wealth—it was all dirty money.

Unfortunately, Silver had a price to pay for all of this.

Everything. From erasing up his fingerprints with acid, to getting accustomed to taking a life away without hesitation, Silver faced through it all. Because as he got older, he realized that nobody ever cared of what became of him. People didn't seem to pay attention to him when he was out in public and whatnot. The police never tracked him down in any of his crimes, since they had no fingerprints of the redhead. He could easily get away with the law in his own hands, laughing at it in a cruel manner. It's like a game of chess; in which the king has already faced _checkmate_.

Because in the end, it only matters with himself. He's the winner, and always will be.

Silver stared up at the ceiling once again in his room. Fragments of his life flashing by here and there, like most days. He didn't mind it at all; to most people, if they were to be in Silver's shoes, they'd feel sorry for the boy for everything he's been through. But Silver has no lament or feelings of sorrow for what happened to him. The past is in the past, right? It happened, and nobody could ever change that.

Nobody can change a person's past, but someone can change a person's future...

Silver snapped out of his thoughts again, and sat up a bit with a tiny sigh. He had remembered Lance speaking to an old, wise man with a beard. They chit-chatted for a while, before the man abruptly walked up to the redhead, and told him those exact words that he would never forget.

_"I sense a terrible past from you... But your future... is bound to change drastically."_

That was about six months ago when he had told that to the redhead. And honestly, Silver hasn't seen a change or anything. He just couldn't help but think through the words, however...

Loud, sudden ringing startled Silver from his trail of thoughts again. He looked over to the drawer next to the bed, and noticed his Pokégear was ringing. Silver let it ring for a few times, before he reached over to grab and answer it. "What," he muttered, leaning against the bed frame.

"Did I wake ya? Ah, didn't mean to." Lance's familiar voice rang through the device at hand.

Silver faked a loud, exhausting yawn. "Lance, why aren't you sleeping. It's pretty late, don't you agree?" The redhead's voice seeped with heavy sarcasm.

He could almost feel Lance rolling his eyes as he spoke. "Oh, shush. I called you before I forget—Hold on a sec." There was barely audible grunting, followed by shuffling of what Silver assumed were papers... Or important documents. There was more shifting and shuffling, and about three minutes into that, Lance spoke again. "So, guess what happened, Twinkle Toes."

"I don't like guessing," Silver blurted nonchalantly, shrugging.

A sigh was heard. "Sheesh, you're no fun. But anyway—where is it..." Lance hummed a tune as he put Silver on hold for a few moments. Silver reached over to turn on the lamp as he waited for Lance to speak. "AH! Here we go. So, Silver, remember the man by the name of Andrew Monan? Well, a little bird told me he's been spotted lurking around in East Johto, around Violet City."

The redhead arched an eyebrow at this. "Mhm. Doesn't he owe you money, or something—?"

"Precisely." Lance nodded from the other end, and sighed heavily. "About fifty grand, in fact."

Silver whistled out at the loss. "Wow, sucks for you, doesn't it."

"Yes, I know," Lance answered, his voice dripping with utter malice. "I need you to go over there, and show him that nobody fucks with me."

A scoff was the redhead's response to his words. "East Johto... It's rather too far from where I'm at right now."

"Don't tell me you're still in Kanto."

Silver sighed heavily as he sat up completely. Removing the covers off his slim body, he draped his legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing his left eye. "I'm in Viridian."

"..."

"But," he continued to speak, "if you _really_ insist on taking this guy down, I'll head on over now."

Silence finally loomed about on the line. All Silver could muster was shuffling off papers, and light chuckling. "Ah, such a loyal _employee_ you are, Silver. This is why I need your assistance." The redhead could almost _feel_ a smirk tugging away onto Lance's lips. "You should take pride in that."

"What is there to take pride in? I do what I do. That's it."

"Same old Silver. You don't seem to care about anything in life, don't you?"

Silver circled around his tense shoulders to relax a bit. "No. Nothing is good in life. Like you said, it's all business and knowing the right people."

The male snickered at Silver's words. "Bingo. Now, go on about your next assignment, and report to me when you complete it. _Capisce_?"

"Whatever." Silver hung up abruptly, and placed the device back onto the draw next to the edge of the bed. Scratching the back of his head, he stood up, and made his way towards the bathroom to freshen up and dress, preparing to go to Johto.

The place he hasn't been at in quite some time now.

As he fixed up his signature attire, and headed out of the city of Viridian, the redhead swiftly started making his way back to Johto, a smirk plastered onto his face. There was something that told him inside that this mission would be interesting.

What he doesn't know, is that sooner or later...

His question will be answered.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: yayy mini background/back story to silvy's life =3= le adventure starts next chappie c: and Andrew Monan... It was a random name /slapped/  
><strong>

**R&R! I'd like to know how I'm doing. c:**


	3. 2

The cool, fresh Johto air fluttered about. It seemed that the moment Silver had set foot upon Johto, the atmosphere around him changed. He couldn't help but shiver the slightest bits. Johto was the more chillier of the two regions, to which he sometimes wasn't used to. He checked the time on his phone, and smirked a little; it took him a few hours to get to Johto.

His silver eyes scanned the area slowly. His view consisted of what most small towns would look like: a few houses here, some trees there... Wait. The redhead arched an eyebrow when a rather wide, but small gray building sat near the edge of the small town. A commercial building in a place like this...

Out of curiosity, he slowly looked around his surroundings as he walked to a nearby wooden sign. He studied the sign slowly, reading its contents.

_'Welcome to New Bark Town, Johto!_ The Town Where Winds of a New Beginning Blow!' _  
><em>

"New Bark Town..." he murmured to himself gently, eyebrows knitted together. "_Town._" The redhead blinked a bit, once again looking around the small town again. It certainly did seem like it was a town, and judging by the chilled winds, it sure stayed true to its title. So, if there's a town here... with a commercial building like the one shown over there... His eyes widened a bit at the realization. "It's like the Pallet Town of Johto," Silver concluded with a sigh. "If that were true, then that means—"

"Hurry up, Soul! The laboratory is about to open soon! Ten minutes to be exact!" A rather boyish, yet deep voice suddenly yelled out from the house that was the closest to Silver. On instinct, he turned his head towards the house, gazing at the cream-colored front door as it slammed open. A boy with amber eyes, around Silver's age appeared to be the one who busted through the door. He didn't seem to acknowledge the staring redhead as he fixed up his Ultra Ball look-a-like cap with a cheeky grin. "Gah! Never mind! I'll see you there—" He failed to realize that he had bumped into Silver in his excitement rush, stumbling him backwards. Quickly regaining his posture, he stared over at the redhead, and sweatdropped. "Hey, sorry man—"

He stared at him, unamused. "Watch where you're going," Silver hissed out, scoffing. If there was one thing that Silver was good at, it was making other people scared. He watched the amber eyed male flinch at his words, his gaze fusing from apologetic to irritation.

"I said I was sorry," he repeated slowly, eying Silver tentatively. The hell was this guy's problem?

Silver did the same, studying him in disgust. He looked like a foolish child in those clothes. An idiot. "Whatever," he spat, hoping to get him to leave already.

However, he stayed glued to his spot, and studied Silver some more. Dark clothing, red hair... "Who are you?" he suddenly blurted. "I've never seen you in New Bark before." His hand unwarily reached out to poke his arm, as if amazed by his presence.

The redhead grabbed his wrist and with swift movements, snapped it over his head. He didn't even react to the amber-eyed boy's loud yelp of pain. Silver stared at him and growled. "Don't fucking touch me," he hissed as a threat, having his silver eyes pierce into his golden ones. He applied more pressure to the teen's arm, twisting it in an unbearing way.

"LET GO!"

* * *

><p>In a peculiar, girly-ish room, items scattered themselves about. From Pokémon plush dolls on the nice, comfy slightly larger than twin bed that rested towards the center of the room, to mailing letters on the hardwood floor. It was a peach color—the walls of the room, which was pretty obvious that it did, indeed belong to a girl.<p>

And this girl, as she dug through her fairly small closet, tossed random materials over her shoulder and onto the floor behind her, making a pile. From toys she used as a kid, to unnecessary items like stationary, she tossed them back without a care in the world. She grumbled, continuing to dig through the closet, and finally, let out a gasp. "Finally!" Her head popped out of the closet, having her brown pigtails swivel back up to their abnormal gravity-defying self. Her warm, hazel eyes brightened as her arm pulled out the object she was holding into view. "There you are," she chimed, smiling widely at her yellow satchel. Standing up, the brunette dashed back to the bed, and threw in a few things: journal, light toiletries, etc, etc...

Swinging her satchel over her shoulder, she turned to her large-mirrored vanity, and stared at her reflection with a heavy sigh. Her odd style of clothing seemed to draw attention away from her, which was a good thing—at least for her. Nobody seemed to care about a girl with a red shirt and blue overalls, right? The brunette continued to stare, and plopped on a fluffy beret on her head. Not too big, and not to small. Nodding in dismissal, she reached on over to grab her Pokégear, and place it in her satchel for now. Her hand now hovered over a peculiar, but rather sharp pocket knife, and stared at it. She was no expert at self-defense, but at least she knew how to wield the weapon in her hands. Stuffing that in her pocket, she stepped back, and smirked in approval. "My journey starts here." Her eyes widened, and remembered to pull out a crumbled up note from her pocket, and stare at it one last time. She read the contents of it, written in her handwriting:

_"Mom,  
><em>

_I want to be able to leave someday. And I chose to finally do it. Despite this being against your wishes, I want to explore! I'm sick of being cooped up in here all the time. So I decided to go with Gold on his journey. I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Bird's gotta leave the nest someday, right?_

_—Soul M. H."_

She let a smile tug away at her lips as she placed the note on her desk. She was finally going to do it. After all these years of staying in the same old town all her life, cooped up, she was finally going to go on with her plan. Run away from home. It seemed selfish of her, to run away from home just like that. But she simply could not stand being in there anymore. For ages she's dreamed of leaving the borders of what was called New Bark Town, to go out an explore out the region! Just like every other kid.

Sadly, as she watched as other kids her age leave about for their Pokémon journey, her mother refused to let her go. It was a shame; she was now seventeen, and she was supposed to legally leave the house at age ten. Gold's parents let him go at the time, but he was nice enough to have waited for Soul until she got permission to. She felt bad, since Gold could have been finished with his journey by now, if it wasn't for her...

Soul quickly shook that thought out of her head, and held her hands on her hips, gazing back at the mirror. Today was the day she was finally going to go forth into the region on her journey, right by her best friend's side. It was a perfect quality image that was projected in her mind. Herself, alongside Gold as they traveled through Johto, and maybe even more regions, training Pokémon, battling against other trainers, maybe battle the gym leaders.. staying close to him... alone...

A small hand covered her face as she shook her head, and emitted out a rather cute sound. The last thought of her and Gold alone made her cheeks tint with a reddish color, clearly embarrassed from the images roaming her mind. What was she thinking? This was Gold she was thinking about, her closest and best friend she had! She can't possibly think about how cute he may actually be... No. She couldn't think of that. She wasn't going to lie to herself and say that she didn't feel some fort of feelings for the amber-eyed teen, but she also wasn't going to be the one to sabotage their friendship, either. Maybe in time through the journey they'll both share, something would arise from it; something both can agree upon...

_"Hurry up, Soul! The laboratory is about to open soon! Ten minutes to be exact!"_

"Speak of the devil," she murmured, looking away from her reflection in the mirror as Gold's excited voice echoed through the open window of her room. She made sure she had everything she needed once more. Nodding once more in confirmation, she finally whipped around, and headed towards the door. Soul zoomed her way downstairs, and rushed over to the front door, which was wide open. "Gold!" she chirped happily, kicking the door behind her. "I'm here! Is—"

Her mouth stumbled to form any words as she noticed Gold on the floor, groaning in... pain? Her eyes widened in surprise, and she rushed over to him, baffled. "Gold? What happened?" the brunette asked, clearly worried. Her hands hovered over to his arm, but he smacked her hands away softly.

The male sat up, flexing his rather pained arm. It seemed that Silver had been serious when he told Gold to leave him alone. "That asshole," he hissed, flinching as he heard a slight pop in his bone. "Shit." He flinched as a sharp discomforting sensation washed over his arm, and groaned.

Soul frowned, kneeling down next to him, eyes drooping. "Gold?" she asked softly, hesitantly reaching for his arm again. "How did this happen?" She was referring to the way he kept moving his arm to try and relax it from the aching soreness that was already developing from the attack.

"A-Ah, nothing," he grunted, stretching his arm out, once more, sighing.

"Tell me," she insisted, arms crossed. "Or I'll drag you to the doctors."

A pair of golden eyes rolled at her childish threat. "Relax, Soul. I just got a little too excited and uh... fell down—" he blurted, sweatdropping. As he said that, however, his eyes flickered to the outskirts of the town where the redhead headed towards to. _'Who was that guy...'_

"Tsk." Soul shook her head in disapproval, and stood up. She held out a slender hand out towards him, and helped him up steadily. "I told you to clam down, geez." Gold responded with a light punch to her arm, to which she returned a bit rougher, laughing. "C'mon, then! I bet the laboratory is open!"

Gold's annoyed face transitioned into a wide grin. He grabbed her hand, and dragged her eagerly to the large commercial building. "Let's go!"

* * *

><p>"Professor! We're here for our Pokémon! As promised!" His voice exclaimed as he slammed the doors open. He stepped in, Soul following right behind him.<p>

No response.

"...Professor?" Gold called out, looking around the lab. His eyebrows furrowed together, rather puzzled. The place was surrounded by what every laboratory had: books, bookcases, plants, doors, etc. What it lacked were... people... Not only that, there were papers scattered all over the area on the ground, as if a strong gust of wind knocked through the room, fluttering everything in its way. "That's... strange..."

"What's strange?" Soul interrogated, also looking around. She absentmindedly kicked some of the papers near her feet, blinking.

"I don't think anyone's here." The male shrugged, and scratched the back of his head. "Maybe they had something urgent to do?" He walked deeper into the room before Soul could answer to his question, which was meant to be rhetoric. She sighed, and quickly followed him behind.

Both teens ventured through the back of the quiet, empty lab. The crisp, cool Johto air breezed through the slight opening of the windows nearby. Upon reaching the table, there they were. Three shiny, perfect Pokéballs sitting on a table in the center. They stared in awe. Those devices help Pokémon, the living creatures that accompany one on their journey...

In the left close by the Pokéballs, there was a small note taped to the side of the table. Out of curiosity, Soul reached out to grab it before Gold could, and scanned her hazels on the paper. "..."

Her expression shifted from excitement to... sadness... Her wide smile slowly faded as she read the contents of the paper in hand, her happy-filled brown eyes shun out, turning rather disappointing as her body trembled. "B-But..."

"Soul?" The amber eyes asked, confused at her shift in moods. "What does it say?"

"..."

She snapped her head to him, and thrust the note into his chest. He grunted in response, and held the paper, also reading what it said.

_"Gold:_

_In the table provided here, are three brand new Pokéballs holding a new Pokémon starter. There are: the grass type Chikorita, the water type Totodile, and the fire type Cyndaquil. Make a wise decision and chose only one for your upcoming journey._

_I apologize for my absence, but my colleagues and I are off to Kanto helping the Pokémon professor here to research our discoveries. I'll make sure to keep in touch once I return to Johto soon. Good luck on your journey. It is a one in a lifetime that will never be forgotten!_

_Once you chose your Pokémon, leave the other two there, and I'll deal with the rest when I return._

_—Professor Elm"_

He finished off the note, and froze. Sure, he was off to a great start with his offerings and his support, but he didn't even mention anything about Soul... Gold looked up from the note, to Soul, who was staring at the Pokéballs absentmindedly.

The professor had promised her a Pokémon a few days back for her journey with Gold, yet he made no mention of giving her one at all in the note...

"Soul," the teen started out, reaching out to her.

The brunette sighed heavily. "I'm sure he found out I was going to sneak away," she mumbled, frowning. There goes her plans...

"W-Well, maybe he just forgot?"

The brunette shook her head as his attempt to sugar-coat the situation. "He already knew my intentions." This was her only chance to leave this town. The only time when her mother had left town for once to Sinnoh to visit a friend of hers, and Soul wasn't going to do it because Professor Elm figured out her intentions? Who did he think he was? Sure, they knew each other well—him and her mother, but that didn't mean that he had the right to barge in to her decisions... right? The simple thought of her failing, not being able to leave the quiet town she's being cooped up all her life... only because he decided to interfere... it infuriated her. Soul's small hands balled up into fists, and she shook her head frantically. "He promised me no matter what..."

Gold stared at her sadly, with sympathy. "I'm sorry Soul... the deal was that you'd go with me if you got a Pokémon..."

Her body tensed up at his words, and she gawked at him with wide, almost teary hazels. "W-What are you saying? Are you breaking your promise too?! You promised, Gold!" Soul's voice shrieked out.

"I can't take you without a Pokémon."

"Gold, please! Let me go with you! I want to get out of this place! Out into the region and explore! I'm tired of the same thing every day!" Her arms shot up in an exaggerated expression, held aloft.

He reached over to the Pokéballs, and quietly chose his chosen starter—the grass type. Not bothering to even let it out of it's Pokéball, he pocketed it swiftly, and turned to her again. He took a shaky breath, and mustered up courage. "Go home, Soul," he ordered sternly, glaring at her. Her shocked response was making him feel really guilty, but he fought it away. This was for her own good. "I can't take you..."

"But—"

"Listen to me." His golden orbs stared into her brown orbs with such sternness. "I can't take you... And I've decided that_ I don't want_ to take you, either."

"..." All Soul could do was stare with a stupefied, puzzled expression at him. Her childhood friend, her crush, her closest friend... telling her that he didn't want her with him...? "What do you mean?" she dared to question, afraid of his response. Maybe she simply processed his words wrong... yeah!

"I don't want you with me. How many times to I have to say it?" Gold's voice changed, making it more rude. It was for the best... It was best for Soul to stay here in New Bark, rather than going with him and risk getting her hurt, Arceus forbid. "So go home, Soul. You weren't meant for this journey, anyways."

"Gold..." she whined sadly, trying not to break down into tears. His words were hitting her hard, as if it was crushing her only motivation of leaving the stupid town for the first time in her life.

He shook his head, and stuffed his hands in his pockets, slowly making his way towards the door. Before he could exit the messy laboratory, he said, "Goodbye, Soul. Take care of yourself." And then, he walked out.

Leaving a confused, tearful brunette standing there.

"Why Gold?!" Whirling around to the table, she slammed them down on the cold surface, and shook her head many times. He promised her! And now he was breaking his promise... just like everyone else did. Her quivering body stopped at that thought. True, everyone had promised her something at some point, but would always break it. It seemed as if... those promises were her only source of hope at times. "..." But she couldn't fail today. Not when the opportunity was high.

* * *

><p>"You want me to what?" A voice barked in towards the device in his gloved hands. His left eye twitched in annoyance. He was clearly not happy—not that he ever was.<p>

"Shush, I know it's a short notice but it's the perfect time." The other voice cleared his throat, and continued to speak, "Since you happened to tell me that you're close by New Bark Town, I'd figure this was a great opportunity for you."

Silver responded with a groan of annoyance, leaning against the rough bark of the tree. "I don't see why I have to obtain that. I don't need it."

"C'mon, Silver. You've refused to take any interests in Pokémon training, yet alone Pokémon. You only have like what, three Pokémon?" Lance mentioned, tapping a pen on his wooden desk from his location back in Blackthorn City. "And you haven't evolved them yet."

The redhead scoffed. "So? I could care less about Pokémon. They're nothing but useless tools." His gaze shifted to the building a few feet away from him, blinking. He happened to be behind the laboratory of New Bark...

"You need to make something of your image for now. You shall be... Silver, a Pokémon trainer. It'll help you slide through your missions anyways."

"Uh huh, yeah, that's great there," Silver said sarcastically. His feet shuffled blankly on the leaves below him, kicking them here and there absentmindedly. "You not only do you want me to be your assassin or whatever, but you also want me as a Pokémon trainer?"

Lance grinned from the other end of the line, and chuckled. "Precisely. And since you happen to be at the right place and the right time, I have a little side-mission for you. Where are you exactly at this very moment?"

"Behind the laboratory."

"And if I'm not mistaken, the professor there had to leave over for Kanto."

Silver eyes rolled at his statement. "Let me guess, you want me to barge into the unattended lab, and get myself a Pokémon."

"Dammit, Silver, let me finish," he scolded. "Well, yes, I want you to do that. But you have to be careful. Today's the day that the professor was supposed to give out his starters to the new trainers nearby the small town. If I'm not mistaken, there was only one listed trainer..." he trailed off. The sounds of shuffled paper filled the line as Silver waited, flickering his eyes over the side of the building. He noticed a silhouette of a boy walking out, hands stuffed in his pockets. His eyes squinted at the boy. Wait, wasn't that the boy from earlier—

"Ah, yes," Lance continued to speak, breaking Silver's concentration. "It appears to be a boy. He should have already stopped by to grab his starter already, according to the scheduled the professor gave me. His name's registered as Ethan Gold, but he prefers the name Gold. Huh, what a coincidence. Another named after a metal," he finished off teasingly.

"Shut up, Lance."

He leaned back in his seat with a light laugh. "Alright, sorry, sorry. Anyways, the professor always has a total of three starters. Theoretically speaking, if that Gold kid already stopped by to grab his starter, there should be a total of two for you to choose from. There's the water, fire, and grass. You pick whichever one you want. I'll give you the liberty to do that on your own will."

Silver's hand met with his face, and he sighed heavily into it. "Lance, why can't you just catch me one? This is time-consuming."

"Because, those starters are rare."

"Rare? How so?"

Lance chuckled. "Those aren't in the wild, like most Pokémon are. They are only obtainable through the professor. That's why I want you to get one and train it. I want to see how 'rare' it really is. Besides, I haven't seen the water type starter, nor the fire type. I've only seen the grass type one only once."

"Since when are you Mr. Pokémon Professor," Silver taunted, smirking.

The dragon tamer snickered. "Sell them on the black market? The more rare, the more it's worth. So go along, get one, and train it. And you can keep it as well."

"I don't see any point in this, but fine. I'll snatch the one I can get. Satisfy you enough, master?" Silver's voice dripped with sarcasm as he spoke.

"Yes. It's not that hard of a task for you. Should only take you about ten minutes. Are we clear?"

"Whatever," Silver ruffed out, standing up straight from his pose against the tree.

"The best part is knowing that Gold kid would most likely be the suspicious one, since he's the only one who was allowed in there. Alright I'm letting you go. Toodles!~" Lance hung up after that.

Silver stretched his body before he began walking through the windy town. Stuffing his Pokégear into his pocket, he dusted off his jacket. His silver irises gleamed around the back of the building as he approached it. There was a back door, but the redhead didn't want to take his chances. The back door was out of the question. His eyes trailed across the side of the wall, and stopped at a certain angle. A window was there. An open window.

His lips curved another smirk. This would be as simple as stealing candy from a store, like he used to do. Very swiftly, he shifted his body towards the wide open window, and made his way through as quietly as he possibly could. It took him mere seconds before his feet met the floor of the laboratory with a tiny thud. Silver was facing the window, on high alert; his hand hovering near his pocket, just in case if he needed his pocket knife. If what Lance said was true, that kid walking out was that Gold guy, and the coast would be clear.

He failed to notice that the moment he landed inside the laboratory, a certain brunette looked up from her teary gaze on the table with the Pokéballs.

Seconds later, Silver's body instantly froze once his ears grasped onto a loud gasp from behind.

"Shit..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And in this chappie, you'll see how much of an idiot Lance is. :D /SLAPPED/  
>And Soul pls relax Silver's not gonna do anything to you... yet.<strong>

**Hehehe I'm having fun writing this. :3 Next chapter is already in progress. Any suggestions you have? c:**


	4. 3

_His lips curved another smirk. This would be as simple as stealing candy from a store, like he used to do. Very swiftly, he shifted his body towards the wide open window, and made his way through as quietly as he possibly could. It took him mere seconds before his feet met the floor of the laboratory with a tiny thud. Silver was facing the window, on high alert; his hand hovering near his pocket, just in case if he needed his pocket knife. If what Lance said was true, that kid walking out was that Gold guy, and the coast would be clear._

_He failed to notice that the moment he landed inside the laboratory, a certain brunette looked up from her teary gaze on the table with the Pokéballs._

_Seconds later, Silver's body instantly froze once his ears grasped onto a loud gasp from behind._

_"Shit..."_

* * *

><p>His eyes—wide as saucers—stayed glued to the steel window frame before him. Silver didn't dare move, staying in his spot like a statue made of stone. Each passing second, his anxiety grew. What was behind him? Who was behind him? He surely wasn't making up the noise he had just heard. Lips pursed into a tight line, his gloved hand itched to dig itself into his pocket for his knife.<p>

Her lips parted in awe, staring at the figure that happened to climb in through the window. Who was that...? Dark clothing, very bright, red hair... "..."

The ticking of the laboratory's clock continued as the seconds passed on by. Each tick made both teenagers more wary of one another.

_TICK. TICK. TICK._

Finally, Silver whirled around, preparing for whomever may be behind him. His fists clenched, finally eying his opponent.

...

_'A girl...?'_ He blinked at Soul for a few moments, then relaxed. It was just a stupid, weak girl. The redhead studied her tentatively. Brown hair; small, petite body; big hat... She looked like a complete idiot! What kind of a girl dresses up in... that get up? Without thinking, he scoffed arrogantly, unclenching his fists. A part of him, wanted to ask what she was doing here; he didn't remember Lance mentioning about a girl. The other part of him wanted her to leave so that he could get his task done as quick as possible. Silver peered into her eyes—hazels, and... teary. Typical of the weak to cry. They then traveled down to the Pokéballs on the table. Ah, there they were. As if not noticing her presence, Silver stepped forward.

A few steps was all it took for her to snap out of her gawking trance, and inhaled sharply. Who was this guy? What did he want? All those questions that swirled into her mind practically begged for an explanation. She blinked away the remaining tears in her eyes. Her eyes caught his facial expression: focused on the Pokéballs in front of him, eying them with want. _'Don't tell me he...'_ Her gawked shifted into a glare towards the redhead. She was slowly catching on to his plan...

Silver could feel her gaze on him. He could really care less about her; she was of no importance to him. Right now, all he needed to do was snatch a Pokéball and get out. His arm extended, reaching over to the closest Pokéball.

_SLAM!_

Everything happened too fast for a moment. Her small hand suddenly reached over, and slammed itself on top of his gloved one with a loud slam. Her hazel eyes glared into his silver orbs, making him stop. Both teenagers looked at one another, not uttering a single word. His jaw clenched as he growled a bit under his breath. Who the hell was this girl? Wasn't she crying moments ago?

"Who are you," Soul demanded with such malice. Her hand curled around his gloved hand, keeping it in a secure lock. She wasn't about to let him move until she got a response, even if it meant hurting him—

Silver studied the girl quietly. He had no idea in the world who this weakling was, but one thing was for sure; she seemed like she wasn't the least bit intimidated at him. That simple thought processing through his mind made the corners of his lips curve upwards in a sly manner. Oh, how he loved it when people underestimated him; it gave him the power to to prove them wrong. Unwarily, he started to chuckle with a low voice.

"None of your fucking business." Was Silver's cold reply. "Fuck off."

Soul cringed, but quickly regained her posture. Her small hand moved lower to his wrist, having her fingers curl around it. Hard. It was up to the point on which she had stopped the blood circulating from his wrist and hand, and she trembled at the amount of pressure she confined onto her grip. "Just answer the damn question," the brunette hissed at him. Her other hand inched down to her pocket as slow as she could. She was almost close enough to fish out her pocket knife...

Unfortunately, Silver noticed her free hand inching down slowly next to her, making him purse his lips. He's dealt with this before, she has a weapon in her pocket, most likely. _'Pathetic,'_ he thought, inhaling.

Then, with swift movements, he curled over his whole hand, slamming her hand onto the cold table. She yelped out in pain due to the force of the blow to her hand, freezing in her place. Before she could react, he was next to her in an instant. It was as if her body shut down, becoming unresponsive. His hand had turned against her, and now he held onto her wrist with an iron grip. He held her wrist so hard that it stopped her blood circulation, and her hand paled. She tried to move her fingers, but failed. Her hand felt paralyzed and numb—along with the rest of her petrified body. Her hazel eyes widened in shock, parting her lips in order to do the only thing she could do now: scream.

But, Silver was even quicker than her. He used his other hand to clamp it over her mouth, preventing her from screaming out in horror. Instead, she exhaled a muffled cry into his gloved palm. The redhead shifted his position, and stood behind the girl. He could feel how scared she was by her small cries into his palm, and by the fact that she couldn't even move or react. As a taunt, he cleared his throat, and bent down to her stature (he had to admit, she was short—but barely). His lips rested near her ear, and he finally spoke in that husky voice of his. "Word of advice," Silver hissed gently, "don't make it _that_ obvious that you're reaching into your pocket for a weapon."

She blinked in stupor, completely frozen to the bone in complete shock. _'How did he...'_

"And another thing. When I say 'fuck off', I really mean it." The redhead finally let go of her wrist, and traveled down her sides.

She didn't have any time—or any force to react to what he was doing. Her pupils dilated as she whimpered again in his hand. What the hell was he doing now? She could feel his hand tracing down her waist, making her eyes water. What if he was some stupid pervert? What if he wanted to get his way with her? Soul finally snapped out of her frozen state, and writhed in his grip. "Mmph!"

His hand stopped at her pocket, and reached inside. He felt something cold in there, perhaps metal? He pulled it out of her pocket, and examined it. It didn't take him long before he figured out that it was a simple pocket knife. "I see. So _this_ is what you were reaching out for."

Soul stopped moving, and watched as her pocket knife slowly came into view inches from her face. Her cheeks drained of color, and she gasped. Her only weapon, her only source of protection, was now in the hands of him; this crazy bastard!

"Tch..." Silver tossed it onto the table in front of them, and shook his head. "I'm going to move my hand from your mouth. I swear to Arceus if you make a sound, I'll kill you. Got it?" he threatened with a snarl. He could stick around and continue to traumatize her for his own amusement, but he had things to do, and not to mention that Lance was sort of keeping time on him—

The horror-stricken brunette could only nod weakly in response. He seemed very truthful to his threat, and she sure as hell didn't want to die. Not when she was close to leaving this place; her hometown. She had a dream to fulfill.

When he noticed that she had calmed down a bit after her nod of confirmation, Silver finally let go of her mouth, and pulled away with a sigh. He was wasting too much time here. Mumbling incoherently, he moved away from her, and focused his attention back to the Pokéballs on the table. "Hm..."

Soul watched him quietly, rubbing at her red wrist with her hand. As far as she was concerned, the professor only let Gold take a Pokéball. She wasn't included, and she doubted that he did either. "..."

Silver's arm extended out again, and finally grabbed at the device closest to himself. He brought the ball at eye level, and blinked at it. There it was, a transparent blue Pokémon inhabiting it. Silver assumed that it was the water type, since it was blue. Satisfied with his pick, he pocketed the device into his pants oh so casually, and turned back to the girl. "..." His eyebrow arched as she stared at him, rather curious. He'd expect her to be crying again, but his assumption proved to be wrong. "You're not gonna call the police now, are ya? Because honestly, I can get away right now before they get here, so there's no point in that."

Soul shook her head slowly, much to his surprise. "Stealing is bad, y'know," the petite randomly blurted out.

His silver eyes stared at her, trying to compel to what she was catching onto. He decided to play into her little game. "So? Sometimes, you have to steal in order to get what you want."

Her lips parted at his words as her hazels flickered back onto the last Pokéball on the table. The only thing that was stopping her from leaving New Bark was not being able to own the Pokémon that was locked in the device before her. If she could somehow take the Pokémon, she'd be long gone...

His words kept replaying into her head, like a tape recording. _'Sometimes, you have to steal in order to get what you want.'_

And he was right, this was what she wanted. She wanted that Pokémon, she wanted to go out and explore, she wanted to get out of this boring town of New Bark that she's been cooped up in all her life. "..." It wasn't difficult at all, was it...?

She snapped out of her trance once she noticed Silver starting to walk away. Gasping a bit, she dashed over to the redhead, and stopped him from leaving the laboratory. "I have a question..." she mumbled, suddenly getting shy. Despite what he did to her, she couldn't help but admire him. How easily he could simply steal something and walk out. She was rather curious about it.

He looked over his shoulder, blinking at her. "The hell..." She was probably the oddest girl he's ever encountered. Just moments ago, he literally held her against her will, and even threatened to kill her, and she wasn't even shaken about it the least bit...?

"What's it like to steal?" she asked, rather embarrassed at her question. She probably sounded stupid and childish to him. Soul frowned at that thought, her cheeks growing warm. She should have stayed quiet...

He looked away from her, eyes focused back to the door. "Depends on the purpose. If you steal for a need, then it's okay. If you steal for a want, then its still okay, but you deal with the guilt of doing so. I dunno, it doesn't really bother me," explained Silver in a casual manner. Why exactly was she asking him this?

Soul cleared her throat, and nodded. "A-Ah, I see." Her brown eyes shifted over to the last Pokéball on the table, biting her lower lip. Hey, if he could do it, why couldn't she as well...? The girl shook her head at her thoughts. She was actually considering it; to steal the Pokémon for herself...

Silver had been watching her at this point, noting how she kept her gaze on the last Pokéball. He scoffed at her, rolling his silver orbs nonchalantly. "You know you want it, so just take it already, geez. Don't have to make such a big deal about it."

Her lips parted, making a small 'o' at his words. "B-But—"

Silver was already at the door of the laboratory, hand on the handle. He looked over his shoulder once more, and stared straight into her wide eyes. "Nothing's stopping you from taking it. Steal in order to get what you want. Remember that."

Both teenagers gazed into each others eyes. In that moment, Soul couldn't help but feel... intimidated by his charming eyes. It wasn't everyday that she would see someone with silver irises; they were cold, and petrifying. She forced herself to tear her gaze away from him, looking at the ground. He was right... there was no harm in stealing, was there? It's not like she was actually committing a serious felony or anything like that. A surge of courage overcame her body, and she looked back up. "Hey, wh—"

It was too late. Silver had already left.

"...Mm..." Her lips pursed a frown. She wanted to at least get the boy's name. "Oh, well..." Maybe he was a trainer as well, and the professor didn't make note of him?

She trotted herself back to the table, and stretched her arm out. She hesitated, almost withdrawing her arm. This wasn't an everyday thing for her; it felt awkward to her.

_'Sometimes, you have to steal in order to get what you want.'_

Once again, those words echoed through her mind, and she nodded. "You're right..." Her hand, held aloft on top of the device, finally curled around it. She pulled it close to herself, and pursed her lips.

The only thing that could be heard, once again, was the ticking of the clock. A few seconds ticked by, before Soul finally snapped from her thoughts, a wide smile spread across her face. "Time to get out of this place." Turning on her heel, she swiftly made her way out of the laboratory, and stumbled outside at the front. Her gaze now rested upon Route 29. Finally, it was time.

Without a second thought, she started to walk to the route, leaving her hometown, Pokéball cradled in her palms.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I meant to post this waaaaaayy back in March but my computer stopped working so I had to get it fixed. ;-; And, haha school keeps me busy.  
>; u ; Aww yussss finally the journey begins -w- Silveryou'realreadyinfluencingherareyouhappy.<strong>


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